Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament which covers the period of 4 BC to 33 AD, during which time the promised Messiah, Jesus, sent his disciples to preach the gospel to the world. The gospel was written by Matthew the Apostle from the late 60s to early 70s AD; Matthew was martyred in 74 AD.

Chapter 1
The first chapter gives the genealogy of Jesus, "the son of David, the son of Abraham". Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David, David the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah the Hittite, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa of Judah, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram of Judah, Joram the father of Uzziah of Judah, Uzziah the father of Jotham of Judah, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh of Judah, Manasseh the father of Amon of Judah, Amon the father of Josiah, Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazer the father of Eleazar), Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born. There were thus fourteen generations from Abraham to David, from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Jesus fourteen generations.

Jesus' birth occured when Mary was betrothed to Joseph; before they came together, she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit, and Joseph - a just man who was unwilling to put her to shame - resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considdered this, an angel appeared to him in a dream, saying "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All thiss took place to fulfill what God had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel commanded him, taking his wife, but not consummating until she had borne a son, whom he named Jesus.

Chapter 2
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod the Great, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking where the "King of the Jews" had been born; they saw a star in the East and came to worship him. Herod and all of Jerusalem were troubled by this suggestion that there was another king of the Jews, and Herod assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, inquiring of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel." Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." The wise men followed the star to the house where Mary had just given birth, and they fell down and worshiped him. There, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts such as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they departed to their own country by another way.

When they had departed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what God had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was hear din Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more." When Herod died, an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." He rose and took the child and his mother and went to Israel, but when he heard that Herod Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that was what spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene".

Chapter 3
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather girdle around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region about the Jordan were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear the fruit that befits repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up chidlren to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and the heavens opened, thhe spirit of God descended like a dove, alighted on him, and said, "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased."

Chapter 4
Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He willg ive his angels charge of you', and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest your strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and ministered to him.

When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles - the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. Great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Chapter 5
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. He opened his mouth and taught them, saying
 * Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
 * Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
 * Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
 * Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
 * Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
 * Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
 * Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God
 * Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
 * Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
 * You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
 * You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
 * Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he wsho does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
 * You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment." But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, "You fool!" shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
 * You have heard that it was said "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body go into hell.
 * It was also said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce." But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
 * Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn." But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply "Yes" or "No"; anything more than this comes from evil.
 * You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.
 * You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hated your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Chapter 6
Jesus continued with his sermon:
 * Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
 * Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
 * And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
 * And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you to ask him. Pray then like this: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neitehr will your Father forgive your trespasses.
 * And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
 * Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
 * The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
 * No one can serve two masters; for either  he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and greed.
 * Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
 * Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Chapter 7
Jesus continued with his sayings: And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
 * Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
 * Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them unfder foot and turn to attack you.
 * Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts  to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
 * Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
 * Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannt bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
 * Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who edoes the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers".
 * Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

Chapter 8
When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him, and a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying "I will; be clean." And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying "I will; be clean." His leprosy was immediately cleansed, and Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the temple."

As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, 'Go', and he goes, and to another, 'Come', and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this', and he does it." When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." The servant was healed at that very moment.

When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him. That evening they brought him to many who were possessed with demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."

When Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead." When he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. There arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" He then rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. One of the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. They cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" A herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them, and the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go." They came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. All the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

Chapter 9
Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. They brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed, and whne Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." Some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven', or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins", he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, take up your bed and go home." He rose and went home; when the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me,"; Matthew then rose and followed him. As he sat at a table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom si with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. And no one puts a piece of unsrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

While he was thus speaking to them, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on ver, and she will live." And Jesus rose and followed him with his disciples. A woman who had suffered a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment; for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." She was instnatly made well. When Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a tumult, he said, "Depart, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." The crowd laughed at him, but when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. The report of this went through all that district.

As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Jesus then touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." Theiy eyes were opened, and Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." However, they went away and spread his fame all through the district.

As they were going away, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. When the demon was cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." However, the PHarisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."

Chapter 10
Jesus called to him his Twelve Dsiciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the Twelve Apostles were Simon Peter, Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James son of Alphaeus, Jude Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Jesus sent out the twelve, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay. Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. As you enter the house, salute it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, she shall not lose his reward."